Archives for February 17, 2007

'"Definitely, I was disappointed," Afinogenov said of the injury. "I want to be there. I want to help the team. It's tough, but there's nothing I can do right now. I need to get healthy as soon as possible and play again. I'm going to do everything I can do and hopefully heal fast and jump right back into the games."'

‘A player was hurt, someone went up, and when the injured player was healthy, the prospect returned to the Amerks. That’s why rookie right winger Drew Stafford has gone up and down eight times since Nov. 5. But this time, Stafford and second-year left winger Clarke MacArthur, the Amerks’ top two scorers, could be gone for a long time.’

‘Buffalo is squeezing the salary cap and a significant deal might have to feature high-priced No. 2 goalie Martin Biron. It would be a big gamble for Regier. Even if he could obtain another backup goalie, he’d pray for Ryan Miller to stay healthy during the stretch run and playoffs. Who knows how many more times the Sabres will be on the cusp of winning their first Stanley Cup? It could be time to go for broke.’

‘”It (the injury) actually happened the shift before he scored the goal,” Ruff said. “He went back out there and was trying to play with it. We had it X-rayed between periods and that’s what it turned out to be.”‘

‘“It just means that some guys need to step up and maybe play more minutes and … a little more different role than they normally would,” Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman said. “Usually, every time we’ve had that happen … we’ve had a pretty solid effort from all the other guys.”’